Supermarket giant Woolworths has scrapped its long-running push to open a large-scale Dan Murphy’s outlet in Darwin.
The company said a review found Woolworths had not done enough to engage with Aboriginal groups concerned the store would worsen the region’s already high rates of alcohol-related harm.
The outlet was to be built on airport land in Darwin’s northern suburbs, close to three dry Aboriginal communities.
In a statement on Thursday morning, Woolworths said the review, led by commercial lawyer Danny Gilbert, recommended the development should not go ahead.
The announcement was welcomed by Darwin’s Danila Dilba Aboriginal Health Service, which had launched a legal challenge to the development, calling on the Woolworths board to abandon the project.
Chief executive Olga Havnen said she commended the company on its decision.
“We absolutely welcome the decision by Woolworths not to proceed with the Dan Murphy’s in Darwin,” she said.
“We think that’s the right thing to do and it was certainly more than just the lack of appropriate consultation. It actually goes to the question of public health issues, the public health concerns that we raised consistently and the potential for increased harm as a result of alcohol.”
-more to come
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